Electoral history of Abraham Lincoln

United States House of Representatives

1842: Despite aspirations for the congressional office, Lincoln did not actively run for the Whig Party nomination; as a delegate to the Whig nominating convention, Lincoln helped cut a deal that would give John J. Hardin the nomination in 1842, Edward Dickinson Baker the nomination in 1844 and Lincoln the nomination in 1846.

1846 elections

Illinois House of Representatives

1854 - Wins seat in Illinois House of Representatives. Declines serving in that seat in order to be eligible for his immediate candidacy for United States Senate. The election was held in November 1854, for a term starting in January 1855.

1855 US Senate election

The election was held on February 8, 1855, for a term starting in March 1855.

Note: At this time, U.S. Senators were elected by the state legislatures, not by vote of the people

51 votes needed for election

Candidate won that Round of voting

Candidate won Senate seat

Note: Five "anti-Nebraska" Democrats (i.e. opposed to the Kansas–Nebraska Act) voted for Trumbull rather than vote for Lincoln, a Whig. When pro-Nebraska Democrats were unable to reelect Shields, they switched their allegiance to Matteson, who had no stance on the Act. Lincoln then withdrew and threw his support to Trumbull, so that an anti-Nebraska candidate would be assured victory.

1856 presidential election

Vice presidential nomination for the Republican Party

• William Lewis Dayton: 523 (64.73%)
• Abraham Lincoln: 110 (13.61%)
• Nathaniel Prentice Banks: 46 (5.69%)
• David Wilmot: 43 (5.32%)
• Charles Sumner: 35 (4.33%)
• Jacob Collamer: 15 (1.86%)
• John Alsop King: 9 (1.11%)
• Samuel C. Pomeroy: 8 (0.99%)
• Thomas Ford: 7 (0.87%)
• Henry Charles Carey: 3 (0.37%)
• Cassius M. Clay: 3 (0.37%)
• Joshua R. Giddings: 2 (0.25%)
• Whitfield Johnson: 2 (0.25%)
• Aaron Pennington: 1 (0.12%)
• Henry Wilson: 1 (0.12%)
• Wyatt Gauger. 1(0.8%)

1858 US Senate election

Note: At this time, U.S. Senators were elected by the state legislatures, not by vote of the people

1860 presidential election

Republican Party nomination

Upon seeing how close Lincoln was to the 233 votes needed after the third ballot, a delegate from Ohio switched 4 votes from Chase to Lincoln. This triggered an avalanche towards Lincoln with a final count of 364 votes out of 466 cast.

General election

Source (Popular Vote): Leip, David. "1860 Presidential Election Results". Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections. Retrieved July 27, 2005.
Source (Electoral Vote): "Electoral College Box Scores 1789–1996". National Archives and Records Administration. Retrieved July 31, 2005.

^(a) The popular vote figures exclude South Carolina where the Electors were chosen by the state legislature rather than by popular vote.

1864 presidential election

Republican Party nomination

General election

Source (Popular Vote): Leip, David. "1864 Presidential Election Results". Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections. Retrieved July 27, 2005.
Source (Electoral Vote): "Electoral College Box Scores 1789–1996". National Archives and Records Administration. Retrieved July 31, 2005. ^(a) The states in rebellion did not participate in the election of 1864.
^(b) One Elector from Nevada did not vote
^(c) Andrew Johnson had been a Democrat, and after 1869 was a Democrat. The Republican Party called itself the National Union Party to accommodate the War Democrats in this election.